Fairmont--the rise of the cities

[krbe]

The big cities are coming--but because of their sheer size, I haven't mangaged to get any further than the outskirts of South Shore! But Eastlands ain't that bad.

Table of Contents
1. The why, what, and when of the Fairmont Report (2008-01-20, 15.03 GMT / 10.03 EST)
2. Region shots (2008-01-21, 18.24 GMT / 13.24 EST)
3. The Rosource Smell (2008-01-24, 02.13 GMT / 20.13 -1 EST)
4. The remake of three cities; a GLR network to die for (2008-01-29, 00.16 GMT / 19.16 EST -1)
5. The most uninspiring place in Fairmont (2008-02-02 03.08 GMT / 22.08 EST -1)

~ Table of Contents ~

The Fairmont Report

[krbe]

2008-01-20
Copenhagen 16.03 / London 15.03 / New York 10.03

The Why, What, and When of the Fairmont Report
THE REPORT
The Fairmont Report takes a critical look on the development of the region of Fairmont, squeezed between the not-so-straight-border-after-all between North Carolina and Virginia (good thing you didn't do that Mark Knopfler!). Forget everything you ever knew about Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and those warships in Norfolk. Since there aren't anything of interest in the Fairmont area in North Carolina (to the south) you can know anything about, you're lucky enough to not need to forget.

The Fairmont Report is also published over at the Fairmont Report (Wordpress), where also some static pages and other stuff not suited for a forum will be published (it also makes sure that not all posts are as wordy as this one!).

As I have offered to write on the SC4 Encyclopedia¹, this will be my way explore on the subjects I (hopefully) can turn into proper articles. This is a fresh install², with no plugins to blur the development (it's to be added along the way), so join me in this project to create something new (and please critisise, so that we can sort things that are bad, out of place, just not feeling right, out—I'm talking to you Krio!)

THE REGION
Right, the region: I live in Copenhagen, so I'll base the area of the Øresund region (that's right—a giant (?) new sound right between North Carolina and Virginia), but it'll of course be altered to suit both SimCity 4 and the US East Coast. So that I may do whatever I want (including making intriguing stories involving beautiful ambassador's daughters and visiting heads of state, if I feel like), Fairmont will be a sovereign state.

View a preliminary handdrawn map of the region (PDF, 190 kB)

As you see, I believe I'll go for a fairly large map, 8×8 large quads (which isn't that large in real life, but huge in SC4-terms—I'm going for a realistic and playable region), and if you have noticed some numbers on the map, here's an explanation (of what it's real life counterparts would be):

1. Kronborg Castle—if you paid attention in English class, you recognise this as the castle from Hamlet in Elsinor
2. Copenhagen Inner City
3. Amager Island, with Copenhagen Airport—I guess it's going to be bigger if I want to keep this island
4. City of Køge—not that important, but this is the border to the west[/ol]
5. City of Malmö—the other large city in the Øresund region, linked with Copenhagen by bridge
6. City of Helsingborg—linked with Elsinor by numerous ferries all day and night long
7. City of Lund—the London of Denmark when founded (and Scania today)

The very first thing to do, is to test the Terraformer³; but if anyone has any suggestions for a terrain mod, trees and a water mod to begin with, feel free to post them here

NOTES
1. And so should you! Especially if you have an article we need, or write English well. If you do both, it's even better. See the thread.
2. Apart from meaning that you might get to decide what I'll be putting there, the SC4 Terraformer works for the very first time!
3. Oh, well. The same as 2.

~ Table of Contents ~

The Fairmont Report

[krbe]

2008-01-21
Copenhagen 19.24 / London 18.24 / New York 13.24

Region Shots
Finally, a real update with pictures and not just some crappy PDF-files! No wonder no-one commented

Well, I actually got to make a region in the SC4 Terraformer. This is the result:

As you see, the placement of the trees can't be called successfull, but it works for now. I'll probably try to smooth out the worst borders at a later time, but not now (just finished 64 quads gets a bit boring).

While this map really is just a run-of-the-mill sound map using the Meadowshire mod and Coulumbus' trees, the Terraformer did manage to put in a few interesting features, such as...

... a coast that occasionally gets rough, and...

... a lake that does exactly the same.

Maybe not that interesting, but hey--just making the map was hard enough! 32x32 kilometres on a Mac isn't ideal.

I also noticed this while holding the tree planting tool:

These formations (there are 1,25 more of them--see if you can spot them on (especially the quarter) on the region map!) will keep simple minded sims puzzled for generations to come.

Nobody that thinks the RHW 2-lane is worth mentioning?

Apparently not, as everyone is so eager to showcase their new interchanges instead focusing on what really matters  While the multilane RHW and the MIS are cool, it's the 2-lane version I've fallen in love with. I've even decided to go for the American roads (yellow double lines) instead of the Euro ones since the standard roads will fit perfectly as high-capacity roads feeding cities while the high-speed, high-capacity RHW takes care of the traffic between settlements. Absolutely perfect! And in honor of the RHW, I've decided to name one of the cities Tarkus; if anyone else on the team has a name that may be used as a city name, let me know

But this puzzles me. I remember seeing these in the RHW thread, but I can't remember what the textures are called or who made them (and they're not linked as a dependency?). - Not a puzzle any longer, found the culprit.

And lastly:

I believe in global warming.

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The Fairmont Report

[TopCliff]

Interesting map. I would've added a few more hills, but that's just me. With those tree patterns, methinks aliens were there in the past. Interesting region, looking forward to it being developed.

[bat]

That's a really nice region there! And great start, too! Looking forward to more...

[krbe]

2008-01-24
Copenhagen 02.13 / London 01.13 / New York 20.13 -1

The Rosource Smell
Rosource could have been know for better things. Like the modern train stop, three times as large as the Rousorcians usually needs. Or the county fair. Or for having put the "rural" hospital of the northwestern part of the South inbetween "suburbia" and heavy industry. Instead, it's the smell.

The town is boxed in by two large farm areas on either side of the highway.


Downtown, with the school, town hall, and tenement built for immigrants after the Second World War. In the middle is the new passenger train station and a singel-unit train approaching it (more on trains later).


The hospital for the rural northwest--strategically placed between heavy industry and the poor's houses. One mayor and a council were sacked because of irregularities during the planning stage, and the next one lost his job after it was discovered that his good ol' friend supplied the toilet seats--for USD 900 a piece.


What keeps the economy afloats. These three farms employ about 1500 staff and ships 1600 containers a day according to traffic view. Flowers is the latest, apparently.

My Apologies
I'm sorry I didn't get to do more for this update--but my bank has screw up, and now I have to be there in person to sort this out (stupid as I were I never issued a mandate to my parents (or power of attorney for you common law guys)). Hopefully the last time I ever have to get on a plane just to get some money across a border (they can buy rotten American house loans and go bankerupt on the hour if they want to--why the hell all this hassle for the common man < Yep, my bank banned me!

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The Fairmont Report

[nova vesfalo]

nice start ! love the "rough coast !!!", the viallage is quite good ! (maybe to squared ! but close up are nice ,a dn eveything is at the right place !)

[krbe]

2008-01-29
Copenhagen 01.16 / London 00.16 / New York 19.16 -1

The remake of three cities; a GLR network to die for

I'll say you can disregard the last updated. I've reworked the entire sout-west mouth of the sound, and the result is three intergrated cities instead of three separate villages (the area now has a population exceeding 50.000).

I've also abandoned the rail network shown in the last post and moved towards a more local light rail network (I've also changed the rural textures to the "classic" ones after I uploaded the pictures), which now moves thousand of people between the cities.

And lastly, but not least: The costal highway has been upgraded to a real 4-lane motorway with grade-separated crossings. More below.

CHESTERFIELD
Chesterfield is a "suburb" to westward Neuburg, and contains some industry, low-income houses, social estates and the district's landfill. The costal rail line runs through Chesterfield, albeit no trains stop here (but that's to change in the future). The light rail line runs through the industrial area, on top of the residential areas and stop where the local capitalists camp.

The industrial area bordering Neuburg.


The poorest of the Chelmfordians, close to the industry.


Low-rise social housing. They pay good money for their developers.


... and a bit further down the road the middle class have their homes.


The rich ones usually hides in their apartment buildings. This is one for those tired of living in the middle of Neuburg.


The end of the light rail between Chelmsford and Neuburg--here you see a Tesco, a Lidl (behind the hospital) and office blocks. While Fairmont lies in North America, it has always maintained strong ties over the Atlantic.

NEUBURG
Named after a now demolished castle built by the first German settlement, Neuburg is the administrative centre in the South-Western region. Here the district hospital is, a busy railway station (the terminus of the South Coast line) and a harbour. The higher educational facilities for the region are also situated in this town.

This 15-story building is owned by the Veterans Association, which takes cares of the country's veterans' medical, housing and educational needs.


The middle class and socialised housing in perfect harmony.


The district's secondary school as well as the entrance to the City Tunnel.


Industry and warehouses in Neuburg.


A quiet area.


The pride of the city; it's harbour with connections to Newcastle on the other side of the sound, and the South Coastal terminus.

ROSOURCE
The farming spirit is retained in Rosource, even though the city has been heavily reworked. It now has a light rail line connecting it to Chelmsford via Neuburg, and thousands of commuters travel back and forth every day.

The commercial centre of Rosource.


The interchange carrying 3 of the 8 thousand commuters between Neuburg and Rosource.


One of the largest farms in the area. Note the pollution along the light rail line!


The "rural" hospital, dumped in the middle of a residential area.


The second of the two landfills, together with a power plant and dirty industry. Also the train depot for the light rail line is here.


The local cathedral inbetween the moneymakers.

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The Fairmont Report

[bat]

Wonderful new update there, krbe! And fantastic pictures of your city!!

[Ennedi]

Hmm... It can be very interesting MD! 

I missed the first update (I'm ill - sorry!), but now I looked at it too. The shoreline looks really original, and these circular tree formations definitely need researching - did you have any alien visits here? 


It's a bit too early to say something about cities development, but I will track it definitely - the point of view you presented in the SC4 Encyclopaedia thread was well thought and interesting.
I like when an MD author is inquisitive and - even more - if he has a sense of humour  (and it seems I can find both these things here  )

As for now, very nice start! Good luck for you! 

Adam

[krbe]

Well, technically not an update, but after I found the c2c commuter train from London in this pacakge from the STEX, I decided to do a little background story update about the train networks of Fairmont. If you're a train nerd like me (or just want to read more about European trains, you'll find it over at the Fairmont Report.

I'll add pictures from SC later


The railways in Fairmont all fall under a uniform designation system. Several companies operates the different lines, but all are subject to regulations set forth by district and county authorities.

The Urban Rail designation is given to large city networks, and covers bot underground and ground and elevated light rail. Currently only South Shore and Northport operates Urban Rail. This is done with the same material which is operated on the Copenhagen metro; i.e. driverless trains with 4 to 6 minutes between each departure on each line.

 
Copenhagen Metro Train and underground station

[/i]

Suburban Rail is a designation given to the trains that run between city centres and larger suburbs. While South Shore and Northport operate the largest networks, other cities also have suburban railway networks Most network base their on the Electrostar (British Rail Class 357), using overhead wires, but some non-electrified lines are using the Talent Diesel Multiple Unit. In some special cases, along lines with little traffic (rural branch lines) not served by L-trains, you'll also find the one-unit Diesel British Rail Class 153 operating. The Electrostar has a top speed of ca. 160 km/h, and the Talent and BRC 153 can each reach about 120km/h.

Electrostar (357), Talent, Class 153

Regional rail services are provided by a uniform fleet of Øresundstrains modified for Fairmont use. These three-car eletrical multiple units can carry 237 in speeds up to 180 km/h. Up to five sets can be coupled together, to form a train 400 metres long which are able to carry 1185 passengers. The uncharming front exterior makes it possible to walk the length between all coupled trains.

Øresundstrain. Photo by Torben Dragsby.

Light rail services are provided where suburbs aren't concentrated around a city, but where the urban area rather consists of several commercial, residential and industrial areas, and several departuers are needed. The perfect example of this is the TRIcity area, where a system based on the Docklands Light Railway is in place.

 
Dockland Light Railway rolling stock and station platform

InterCityExpress and InterCityInternational are essentialy the same; except that the ICE-trains are electrified and runs between the larger cities in Fairmont, in addition to ca. 300 kilometre service between Northport and Washington, DC. InterCityExpress is serviced with a Fairmont derivative of the Norwegian tilting train BM-73, which carries 204 passengers in a four-car configuration in speeds up to 210 km/h. Three sets can be coupled together if there is demand for it. The InterCityInternational services are being served by a Fairmont derivative of the Danish IC4; with 203 seats it has about the same capacity of it's electrical cousin, but it's curves are much friendlier. As the BM-73, the IC4 consists of 4 cars which can be coupled together to form longer sets. Its top speed is 200 km/h.

 
Bm 73 (ICE), IC4 (ICI)

[krbe]

IMMERSTADT--WINNER OF LAST YEARS "MOST UNINSPIRING PLACE"

Copenhagen 04.08 / London 03.08 /New York 22.08 -1

Immerstadt, founded by German immigrants in the 19^th century is today populated by about 3000; most of whom work in the agricultural sector, but a few also with heavy industry.

It was voted the "Most uninspiring place 2007" in Fairmont by magazine Urban Review; it's natural when you see the selection of development that has occured in Immerstadt: One primary school which ranks last in every ranking possible, an old Gas Power Plant threatened with retirement, moneylosing heavy industry and a non-sustainable agricultural sector. The old commercial area focuses on low-income customers, with Lidl and Waffle house being the only chain shops in Immerstad  Although being the end of the Washington Lake railway line, it only recieves one regional train every morning and afternoon (the single car Class 153 serves Immerstad one hour before and after the regional train); Immerstad is best described as "a dead end". The only reason why Immerstadt looks decent, are because of the low prices in the country side.

One of the really rare moments in Immerstadt; 3 suburban train sets visiting at once (that's twelve cars!).


The train station--the one with no departures.


This is the entrance to Immerstadt; almost sealed off from the road. Nobody know why the town used that much money on such a silly venture. And don't be fooled by the nice houses; it's always cheaper in the countryside.


The shops are located along Main Street; with Lidl as your only grocery option.


The power plant, which duties are to be taken over by a nearby nuclear plant


Aaand the city view... Not exactly a place to stop for some coffe.

I hope to get started on a somewhat bigger city tomorrow--getting boring with all those hamlets!

[bobinator]

I really like your rural highways and trains. I would mix the farms up a bit more though, the giant squares look a little odd. Cool- bob

[krbe]

I agree, the large farm squares doesn't look good at all--and how could I forget the waters and tree spots usually found in the middle of every field? You know, the ones where the workers hide when they need a break.

The Immerstadt cityview has been updated.

A quiet lake


Some trees providing shelter from the sun


A quiet neigbourhood for the middle class in Chesterfield.

[krbe]

Q: Is Fairmont littered with small, boring, rural cities?

A: Not at all! it just takes some time to develope those large cities. Infact, I haven't made any of them yet; just a couple a boroughs for South Shore, each with about 50-160 000 residents. I'll show you Eastlands in the mean time:

Expect an update Saturday afternoon (CET).